Teacher education and the sociological theory of Pierre Bourdieu: a possible interface for research in Education

Abstract

This text describes the possibilities of constructing an interface between the sociological theory of Pierre Bourdieu and studies on teacher education. These possibilities were outlined based on an investigation into the presence of this theoretical framework of analysis in the academic works of students of Masters and PhD programs in Education in Brazil, between 1965 and 2004. In order to obtain data on the understanding of this theory among students of these Programs in Brazil, a search was carried out in two databases (ANPED and CAPES), for abstracts of theses and dissertations which refer to Bourdieu and/or his concepts, quantitatively and qualitatively analyzing different elements that could provide a descriptive framework for the studies, and categorizing the Masters and PhD programs in Education, identifying centers producing works that use this theoretical framework of analysis for the production of knowledge. Through contact with teachers/supervisors, data about these programs was collected for the second stage of the research; the selection of works (theses and dissertations), which were read in full. The potential of the application of the sociological theory of Pierre Bourdieu to certain objects of investigation was verified, such as teaching practices and teacher training, and its contribution to explaining what happens in the field of education. This study also reveals a movement, within the field of educational science in Brazil, towards a renewed interest in this French sociologist, with many recent publications by and about this author, as well as evidence of a significant number of theses and dissertations defended in recent years with this theoretical framework.